Feathering attachment for clippers



Jan. 28, 1941.

M. T. WALDRQN FEATHERING ATTACHMENT FOR CLIFPERS Filed 001;. 9, 1939 MICHAEL T. WALDRON Bnventor Gttorneg Patented Jan. 28, 1941 UNITED STAT ES ATEN'i OFFICE- Claims.

My present invention relates to improvements in. a feathering attachment for clippers for use in connection with the well known and relatively standardized clippers commonly used bybarbers 5 and: other persons who shear andclip hair.

It is well recognized that hair clippers are very efiicient and useful implements and that their use, has reached a very great number. It has beenan inherent difificulty experienced by users of power-driven or hand-operated hair clippers that the feathering or tapering of the hair, as around a persons neck and over the temples, requires a lengthy period of training and a high degree of proficiency.

It is an important object of my invention to provide a feathering attachment for hair clippers by which the operator may mechanically raise the cutter bar of the clipper away from the scalp or skin in a gradual tapering manner soas to produce a neatly feathered" appearance.

Another object of my invention has been to provide 'an attachment, as heretofore described, which can be readily attached to or removed from the standard makes of clippers without the use of tools and without delay or inconvenience to the operator.

A further object of the invention. has been the provision of such a clipper attachment which is simple and efficient in its operation upon a clipper and which is constructed of the minimum number of parts toinsure long life and useful service without the necessity of constant adjustment or repair.

Still another object of my invention has been the provision of a simple clamping means for securely gripping the attachment to a clipper which may be finger-operated torelease or secure the attachment to a clipper.

A still-further object hasbeen to-provide-a clip- 40' per attachment which, whilemanually operated during the feathering of the hair being cut, is actuated to return the attachment to its normal position to be ready for the beginning of a subsequent cutting operation.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will lee-apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein for the purposes of illustration I show the preferred embodiment of my invention, and in which like numerals designate like parts throughout the same:

Figure l is a perspective view of a power-driven hair clipper with my attachment fitted in place thereon,

Figure 2 is a side elevational view of my attachment as it would appear when dismounted fromthe'clipper,

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the movable bottom plate of my attachment,

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the attaching plate, and in dotted lines I have indicated themanner in which this plate attaches to and engages. the shear plate of. a standard clipper,

Figure 5 is a perspective view of thefingeractuated lever and shaft which, when mountedin the assembled device, serve to operate my attachment,

Figure 6 is a perspective view, and Figure 7 is a detailed cross sectional view of the clamp member which I use to securely grip the attachmentto a clipper, and

Figures 8, 9 and 10 are diagrammatical views showing my clipper attachment in place upon the clipper and progressively illustrating the movement ofthe bottom plate with relation to the shearing plates of the clipper.

Referring now to Figure 1,. the numeral ll designates apower-driven clipper having an electrical' connection plug [2 at one end for the attachment of the electric cord it... On the forward end of the clipper His secured a reciprocably movable upper blade M and a fixed bottom. blade or cutter bar [5. I

The usual operationof a clipper of this type is to slide or advance the cutting blades of the clipper along the scalp or skinof the person whose hair is, being clipped, and as the hair enters between the fine teeth or fingers on the upper and lower blades to the moving blade, it is cut or sheared. It is customary in barbering'to manually taper the hair as it is being cut by raising the clipper but, as has been said, this is difficult and requireslong practice. I

My attachment is shown in side elevation in Figure 2 and consists of a slidably movable bottom plate It having upstanding flanges ll--l'l on either end, and across the forwarder leading edge is arranged inspaced relation a series of fingers l8. Adjacent the rear edge of the plate It and in the flanges IT I form a pair of pivot holes l9l9.

A lever arm 20 having on its upper end a thumb button 2| is shown in Figure 5 to have a slight ofiset portion 22, and on its lower endbelow the offset is the lever 23. A pivot hole 24 is provided adjacent the extremeend of the lever 23),"and-a pivot shaft 25 is securely fixed to the lever 23 adjacent the offset portion 22 and forms the fulcrum for the lever arm 20. At the opposite end of the shaft 25 I provide a short lever 26 having a pivot hole 21 at its lower extreme end. The lever 26 is keyed or otherwise secured to the shaft 25 and turns therewith.

An attaching plate 28 is illustrated in Figure 4 as being substantially rectangular, and on its forward corners attaching lugs 29-29 are shown for engagement upon the outer edges of the bottom blade of the clipper. Back stops 3ll30 are also shown and serve to properly position the attaching plate on the bottom blade 15.

A locking lever 3| is loosely pivotally secured on the pivot pin 32 and, as may best be seen in Figure 6, has a down-turned cam flange 33 on 10 its forward end and a thumb button 34 on the rear end. A curved slot 35 in the attaching plate receives the cam flange 33. A pair of downturned pivot ears 36 depend from the rear'side corners of the attaching plate 28 and have a pivot hole 31 for the reception of the shaft 25. The assembled device as shown in Figure 2 indicates that the levers 23 and 2B are pivotally secured in the pivot holes I19 by means of the pivot pins 38 andthat a pair of springs 39 is attached at their rear end to the shaft 25 and at their forward end to anchor pins 40 on the inner faces of the flanges H.

In attaching my device to a standard clipper the lugs 29 are slipped over the outstanding side edges of the blade l5,to a point where the stops 30 abut the rear edge of the blade. In slipping the device onto the blade the lock lever 31 is in the position indicated in Figure 4, and when the attaching plate is properly seated the lock lever 3| is pivoted upon the pin 32, and through the cooperation of the cam flange 33 with the edge of the slot 35 the body of the lever is raised and se curely interposed between the plate 28 and the blade l5 and serves to clamp the plate to the blade.

In Figures 2 and 8 the attachment is indicated in the normal at rest position. As the operator advances the clipper from the back of a persons neck upwardly he merely rests his right 5 thumb on the thumb button 2| and slowly bends or retracts it as he moves the clipper. He is thus enabled to move the pivoted lever arm 20 rearwardly as in the showing of Figures 8, 9 and 10, and through the action of the levers 23 and 26 he causes the bottom plate I 6 to slowly advance outwardly with relation to the blade [5 and interpose more of its body between the scalp and the cutter bar. The upper edges of the flanges I! slide on the bottom face of the plate or blade i5. Thus automatically is obtained a tapering out which, without a great degree of proficiency, can be maintained even and smooth. When the operator has reached the limit of the area being clipped and tapered he merely releases the pressure of 0 his thumb on the button 2| and the attachment, through the operation of the spring, is caused to re-assume the positions of Figures 1 and 8, ready for the beginning of the next out.

To remove the attachment from a clipper the 65 lever 3| is swung out of the locked position and the clipper may be readily slid rearwardly off the cutter bar [5 and laid aside until it is again desired for use. 7

I wish it clearly understood that the use of my 70 attachment is not limited to power-driven clippers but is equally useful upon the standard hand clipper of common use.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention, herewith shown and described, is to be taken as a preferred example of the same, and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, without 5 departing from the spirit of myinvention, or the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is? 1. A feathering attachment for clippers comprising an attaching plate having means for engaging the clipper, a movable bottom plate, link means pivoted at one end to the attaching plate and at the other end to the rear portions of the 15 bottom plate, means operable on said link means for advancing the bottom plate with relation to the attaching plate, and retractor means operating upon the bottom plate to return it to normal position.

2. A feathering attachment for clippers comprising an attaching plate having lugs adapted to engage the clipper and dependent pivot supports,

a movable bottom plate, link means pivotally connected at one end to the dependent supports and 25 at the other end to rear portions of the bottom plate, means operable on said link means for advancing the bottom plate with relation to the attaching plate, and retractor means operating upon the bottom plate to return it to normal posi- 30 tion.

3. A feathering attachment for clippers comprising an attaching plate having lugs adapted to engage the clipper, lock means for securing the attaching plate to the clipper, pivot supports on 35 said attaching plate, a pivot shaft-in said supports having dependent links secured on either end, a movable bottom plate pivotally secured to the lower ends of said links, means for operating the links to advance the bottom plate with rela- 40 tion to the attaching plate, and spring retractor means adapted to return the bottom plate to its normal position.

4. A feathering attachment for clippers comprising an attaching plate for engaging the clip- 45 per, a flanged movable bottom plate having fingers on the forward edge, link means pivoted to the attaching plate and the flanges of the bottom plate, means operating upon the bottom plate for urging it forward with relation to the attaching 0 plate, and retractor springs attached to the bottom plate and anchored adjacent the attaching plate to return the bottom plate to its normal position.

5. A feathering attachment for clippers com- 55 prising an attaching plate having means for en gaging the clipper, a locking lever pivoted to said plate and having a cam flange on its forward end adapted to be interposed between the attaching plate and the clipper, a pivot shaft pivotally supported from the attaching plate and having links securedat'either end and dependent therefrom, a flanged movable bottom plate pivotally secured to the lower ends of said links, a lever arm attached to one link and standing upwardly therefrom for advancing the bottom plate with relation to the attaching plate, and retractor means cooperating with the attaching plate to return the bottom plate to its normal position.

MICHAEL T. WALDRON. 

